Cubed Food: A Great Food Storage Option
Welcome to my world of cubed foods, which I hope you will quickly agree is a great food storage option. You know I steer away from processed and prepackaged foods…just really like to stay as close to the earth as possible with what I put in my and my family’s’ bodies.
Additionally, we avoid all the sodium that so many processed and prepackaged foods contain. To that end, I make and can my own chicken and vegetable stock and my own soups. We grow what we can in our garden and purchase food in its natural state as much as possible. I am definitely a ‘make it from scratch’ gal, even when it comes to traditional sauces and spices and baking staples.
The challenge with making your own food is that because it doesn’t contain all the sodium and preservatives, it is usually not as shelf-stable as foods with those ingredients. To deal with that, I can my food or keep it in my freezer. Which is fine, but when I just needed a teaspoon or tablespoon of something, it typically meant defrosting a jar, getting what I needed and then re-freezing the remainder.
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That was my modus Operandi until I thought…food cubes!!! My first foray into food cubes had me using some ice cube trays that I picked up at Wal Mart…bad idea. The trays were very inflexible and cracked after a couple of uses. Then I went to my online mecca (aka Amazon.com) and found these fantastic silicone ice trays, which ended up being a game changer and I went on a cubed food frenzy!
They are BPA free and very flexible, which makes it easy to pop the cubes out while they are still frozen. Plus, the aesthetic in me really likes the perfect little squares. Just an FYI, when I tried freezing a batch of hoisin sauce (which doesn’t freeze because of the sodium in the soy sauce), my trays kept a strong garlic smell to them. I now have 2 sets of trays, one for heavily flavored cubes and one for more mild cubes.
Right now, in my freezer, I have cubed kale, cubed basil, cubed chicken bouillon, cubed vegetable bouillon, cubed masala curry, and ginger/lemon ‘tea’ cubes.
Cube Your Food: A Great Food Storage Option!
Kale Cubes
The cubed kale is so simple to make and so handy to have on hand for smoothies or soups.
I puree about 4 cups of kale with 1/3-1/2 a cup of water…that’s all it takes.
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A good blender makes this task so simple. I simply ❤ my Vitamix. I know they are pricey, but we took the plunge several years ago, and this blender is a workhorse. It is used multiple times a week for a variety of things.
We have the Vitamix 6300. To be completely honest, we only use the pre-programmed ‘smoothie’ feature so the other pre-programs are rather lost on us. You can get a basic, without the pre-programmed settings but with all the other features for a good $100+ less.
It’s a simple process to puree your kale and water and then to pour the mixture into your silicon ice trays.Smoothies are by far the primary use of our kale cubes, but I will throw some into a pot of Vegetable Soup as well.
Basil Cubes
To preserve basil, you want to add some oil to keep it from turning brown. I find that a food processor works best for this task.
For every cup of basil leaves, add approximately 1/4 cup of olive oil and process lightly. I use my basil cubes primarily when making marinara and soups in the winter when I don’t have fresh basil in my garden.
As such, I don’t process until it’s a puree but stop while it’s still rather coarse, but that’s a personal preference. And as much as I tried to get a pretty picture, there is just no way to get frozen basil and oil to look good…so sorry.
Chicken Bouillon Cubes
The chicken bouillon cubes came about because I read the ingredients list of packaged bouillon cubes. With the number one ingredient being salt, it was a non-starter for our family. However, I did want an option to boost the flavor of some recipes, which bouillon cubes are great for doing. While I give you my ‘recipe,’ it really is no more than reducing your stock down and adding some aromatics.
1 quart of chicken broth/stock
1/4 onion
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp thyme and marjoram
Blend these ingredients in your blender until liquid.
Slowly simmer this down, making sure you keep a watch over it until it reduces to about 1 cup, which will yield you approximately 16- 1 tablespoon bouillon cubes, or 8 2-tablespoon cubes which is what I did.
Vegetable Stock Paste Cubes
The vegetable cubes were inspired by Lynn at Heavenlynn Healthy and her Homemade Vegetable Stock Paste post. This is my kind of food (as are most of Lynn’s recipes).
I took her inspiration but was able to eliminate the salt by freezing the paste into my cubes! A win-win! These cubes are easily incorporated into soups and stews, but can also add some additional flavor to sauces, as well as the cooking liquid for grains.
I hesitate to use the word ‘recipe’ as I think you can use just about whatever veggies you want or have on hand, to make vegetable cubes. But, here’s what I used:
5 oz each of fennel, parsnip, celery root and carrots (scrubbed and peeled as needed)
1 oz sundried tomato
3 oz shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 oz dried mushrooms
I chopped these ingredients in my food processor until they were a coarse paste and then froze them in my trays.
Masala Curry Cubes
The masala curry cubes are the result of making some masala curry paste for a meal, but then having more than I needed. I used this recipe from Indian Simmer, and when it came to freezing the excess, opted to freeze them in cubes as opposed to the whole jar.
Some other foods I have, or would, cube:
- Tomato paste…when you open a can and only need a tablespoon! Put the rest in your trays in 1 tablespoon increments
- Lime/Lemon Juice
- Chipotles in Adobo ..I always have a jar in my freezer, but I’m going to cube it the next time I defrost it.
So, in a nutshell…’Cube Your Food!’ It’s a great, efficient and effective, way to store food essentials. What are some other foods you would cube? Drop me a line, I’d love to hear.
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Hugs,
Hm, I’m really loving the idea of cubed sauces and stocks and purees, Lynn! I usually don’t make enough to freeze it, I also don’t have a large freezer, but as cubes it would still fit in! I hear ya, we are trying to live as paleo as possible and feezing your home made goodies is keeping it easy to access as well! Loving your photos, they look beautiful!
Hi Katrin…cube is way to go! I’m telling you! They make it so easy to add flavor to your foods or easy access to sauces. And thanks for your kind comments on the photos. I’m having fun learning more and more about my camera and all it can do!
Thanks for swinging by today and leaving your kind words.
Wishing you a lovely Tuesday.
Hugs, Lynn
I’ve been doing little cubes of my homemade stock for years, but this inspired me. I like to infuse my water with cucumber, fruits, herbs. I’ve been making up mixtures and freezing them, so much faster to make a big batch and add a few to my glass each time. Thanks for the great idea.
Hey Barb…we clearly share a brain. What are some of your favorite combinations? Would love to add to my repertoire.
Well, here where I live, I can grow herbs year round, so I always have fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary. To be honest, I don’t buy fresh fruit for smoothies, but freeze stuff that’s about to turn rather than throw it out. Melon with mint, or cucumber and any herb plus a touch of lemon are some of my favorites, but my hands down fav is cuke, strawberry and mint. Hope that helps!
Cuke, Strawberry and Mint…sounds like such a refreshing combination!!! Putting it on my list.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving some suggestions.
Hugs, Lynn
Thanks for the recipes and cube tray source. I have made fruit cubes for smoothies and make my own stocks but never thought of bouillon cubes. Really enjoy your blog.
Hi Gail! I am so glad to have thrown some ideas your way…that’s what I hope to do each time I make a post. I really appreciate you stopping by an spending a few minutes of your time with me!
Wishing you a lovely Tuesday!
Hugs, Lynn
I think this would be a great way to produce a lot of food and easily store it! 🙂 Great stuff here.
Thanks Shanna! Without a doubt, cubing your food does make storage and access so easy! So glad that I may have offered some ideas to you!
Wishing you a lovely Tuesday.
Hugs, Lynn
What a great idea Lynn! I have never thought of freezing cubes like this. This is the first year in quite a while that I have had a place big enough to plant quite a few plants. I use to can a lot, and hoping to get back into it. I will have to remember the cubes and try out some of these recipes. I have a dehydrator, and I dry my kale so it doesn’t ruin now I can try the cubes as well. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Hi Linda, so glad you’ll be having a garden to grow your own food! Cubing it for future use is so easy and makes it so easy to use in sauces, soups, etc… And I haven’t thought to dehydrate the kale! Hmmm…does it turn to a powder? I may have to give that a try. Thanks for the idea and for stopping by today.
Hugs, Lynn
Not quite powder but pretty close, but it’s great for my smoothies and to sneak in things like soup so the hubby done know.
I’ll have to give that a try. I have a dehydrator. thanks Linda
This seems like such a nobrainer I almost face palmed. I used to have bags of cubes when I made my own baby food. It just never occurred to me to make adult add ons like this! I will have to dig my trays out of the cupboards now!
Hey Brianna…I’m kinda with you on the face palm…why have been having all this frozen solid jars in my fridge that I had to defrost at each use, just to refreeze? Anyway, these cubes have proven to be a great kitchen idea and hope that you find them useful as well.
Thanks for swinging by to visit today.
Hugs, Lynn
Now here’s a great idea. When my kids were babies, I used to freeze baby food in small containers, but stopped doing that as they grew. Maybe it’s time to go back to that. Love the ice cube trays inspiration!
If you have time, I would love for you to come and share this post over at the Really Crafty link party that is live right now! http://keepingitrreal.blogspot.com.es/2016/04/welcome-to-really-crafty-link-party-14.html).
Hi Teresa…I’ll head right over. Thanks for the invitation.
Hugs, Lynn
Thank you for sharing! Pinned!
So many great cubed recipes. When I first saw it I thought it looked a little futuristic. Like the jetsons putting a pill in the microwave and getting a meal. But what a great idea to add a punch of health to a meal.
Hi Ann…these cubes make storing and using certain foods so much easier and now I’m always on the lookout for new foods to cube!
Thanks for swinging by today.
Hugs, Lynn
Very smart idea Lynn! It makes so much sense to do this and store it in the freezer for later use. My freezer is usually full of fish…lol. My husband is a fishing fanatic. So I’d probably not have room or not be able to find the cubes, even the ice cubes have to fight for freezer space in the summertime. But this is definitely preferable to using canned or other processed foods.
OK Mary…dare I say…Fish Cubes?! Not sure I’d really endorse that truthfully. Well, tell hubby to make room for some vegetable cubes!
Thanks for coming by today.
Hugs,Lynn
Lynn- I love cubed foods- I haven’t done it since my kids were babies. I used to freeze their homemade baby food in cubes – worked great! I think I need to add into my cooking again after reading this post. It really is such a great idea for so many different foods. Thanks for all the tips!
Hi Ilka, like you I made all sorts of baby food that I then froze. And then, like you, I forgot all about the cube food thing once they outgrew baby food. But it makes so much sense so…see…everything comes full circle!
Have a great day.
Hugs, Lynn
Lynn, your cubed food storage is such a great solution for freezing tiny amounts of food. Thanks for all your recipes!! Thanks for sharing at Sweet Inspiration! Have a great week!!
Hi Keri, thanks for coming by and leaving your kind comments. I do love my food cubes! They do work perfectly for me…hope they do for you too.
See you next week at Sweet Inspiration.
Hugs, Lynn
Lynn, as you know we try to eat as clean as possible also. So this post is perfect. I am definitely pinning it to come back to time and time again. I had bought the frozen pesto in cubes from Walmart, they are frozen with no chemicals or additives, and I saved the tray so that I can do my own basil this summer. Now I have your recipe. This is perfect, I am so excited. Thanks for sharing.